Container with included sipping-tube for potable fluids



Oct. 18, 1966 H. J. ENGELSHER ETAL 3,279,679

con'rAmEn wm: mcwvnn SIPPING-TUBE FOR POTABLE mums Filed June 2. 1965 a Sheets-Sheet 1 INVE Oct. 18, 1966 H. J. ENGELSHER' ETAL 3,

CONTAINER WITH INCLUDED SIPPING-TUBE FOR POTABLE FLUIDS Filed June 2, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 H55 if v HEB Oct. 18, 1966 H. J..ENGELSHER ETAL 3,279,679

CONTAINER WITH INCLUDED SiPPING-TUBE FdR PQTABLE FLUIDS Filed June 2. 1965 s Sheets-Sheet 5 1966 H. J. ENICZEELVSHER ETAL 3,279,579

7 CONTAINER WITH INCLUDED SIPPING-TUBE FOR POTABLE FLUIDS Filed June 2. 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 M WZZM Oct. 18, 1966 H. J. ENG'ELSHER ETAL 3,279,679

CONTAINER WITH INCLUDED SIPPING-TUBE FOR POTABLE FLUIDS Filed June 2. 1965 e Sheets-Sheet 5 1966 H. J. ENGELSHER ETAL 3,279,679

CONTAINER WITH INCLUDED SIPPING-TUBE FOR POTABLE FLUIDS Filed June 2, 1965 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 INVENTORS United States Patent 3 279 679 CONTAINER WITH iNciUnED SlPPING-TUBE FOR POTABLE FLUIDS Harvey J. Engelsher, Yonkers, and Robert W. McKirdy, Scarsdale, N.Y., assignors of one-third to Peter C. Hofstra, Paterson, NJ.

Filed June 2, 1965, Ser. No. 460,633 4 Claims. (Cl. 229-47) This invention is concerned with the packaging of potable fluids such as milk and fruit juices and particu larly with the packaging of such fluids in paper-board or plastic containers having sipping-tubes, sometimes called straws, infolded and sealably enclosed therein.

Containers of this type, for instance, coated paperboard or plastic folded tubularly from individual blanks and sealed to contain fluids hygienically are already in use, but are not supplied with tube or straw enclosed; sipping-tubes are furnished independently and are separate from the container. A disadvantage of this arrangement is the attendant risk of the sipping-tube becoming contaminated before it can be used. Another disadvantage is the added cost of separately packaging sipping-tubes.

The drawings which illustrate the embodiment of the invention comprise:

FIG. 1 is a view of the single blank after cutting and before folding and sealing as a complete container having a pouring spout.

FIG. 2 is a view of the face of that section of the blank from which the sipping-tube, the sipping-tube cover and the concomitant panels are formed.

FIG. 3 is a view of the obverse face of the section shown in FIGURE 2 shaded in both FIGURES 2 and 3 to indicate areas to which adhesive is applied.

FIG. 4 is a view of the section shown in FIGURE 2 preparatory to folding.

FIG. 5 shows the folding of the sipping-straw completed.

FIG. 6 shows the folding of the concomitant panels immediately prior to their being sealed.

FIG. 7 shows the sipping-tube before being collapsed.

FIG. 8 shows the sipping-tube collapsed in form for sealing.

FIG. 9 shows the sipping-tube as it appears from inside the sealed container.

FIG. 10 is an outside view in perspective showing the container closed.

FIG. 11 shows the same container with tube cover opened.

FIG. 12 shows the same container with sipping-tube erect but collapsed.

FIG. 13 shows the same container with sipping-tube erect and open.

FIG. 14 is an enlarged detailed view of the sippingtube in collapsed condition and stowed in retaining slot.

FIG. 15 shows the sipping-tube after having been rotated into position for use.

FIG. 16 illustrates the method of locking the tube into position by clock-wise rotation.

FIG. 17 shows an enlarged view of the sipping-tube after opening by rotating manually.

FIG. 18 shows a container of conventional design without pouring spout, but with sipping-tube of the invention integral therewith.

In general this device contemplates novel and improved containers for the storing and dispensing of potable liquids which must be purveyed to the consumer with contents hygienically intact.

At present, a certain level of this latter requirement is maintained by the packaging of milk, cream, fruit and vegetable juices in coated paper-board containers prop- Patented Oct. 18, 1966 erly sterile and sealed. However, such potable fluids as are supplied for individual consumption in quantities generally of one pint or one half-pint must be dispensed by pouring into a drinking receptacle or withdrawn from the container by means of a separate drinking-straw also hygienically packaged and sealed. From this practice, as already mentioned, can arise a health hazard especially when dispensing such fluids as milk and cream which are very sensitive to contamination.

In the present invention one can use a sheet of paperboard or similar material suitably coated with a heatsealable resin such as polyolefin or a copolymer thereof on the outwardly and inwardly facing surfaces, to certain areas of which one may apply an adhesive which is somewhat resistant to scaling.

The single blank of paper-board is so shaped, cut, slotted and creased that when folded it not only provides a conventional container having top, bottom and vertical seams infoldably closed and sealed where necessary, but incorporates also therein a sipping-tube the upper portion of which erects itself when a tab-like door is opened; the door having first been inwardly coated with'sealresistant adhesive.

A similar method of infold closing of paper-cartons is taught by Eggleston et al. in US. Patent No. 3,120,335 of February 4, 1964. The use of a suitable sealing-resistant coating for application to a heat-scalable, thermoplastic-coated paper-board surface is taught by Crawford et al. in US. Patent No. 3,116,002 of December 1963.

In the subject invention, the sipping-tube, although freely accessible to the mouth of the user, remains attached inside the lower part of the container in such a way that the bottom of the tube is below the level of the liquid when the carton is upright. The advantage of this feature, namely, the permanent attachment of the sipping-tube is readily appreciated when one is reminded that the type in current use is flimsy and becomes dislodged easily from the carton when in use and can fall on an unhygienic surface of a table or floor. Thousands of young school children every day are exposed to these mishaps and the concomitant probability of drinking contaminated milk.

The container of our invention, if accidentally upset, does not spill its contents so readily as does a container having a wide opening or a pouring spout.

It is the object of this invention therefore, to make available an improved container for potable fluids wherein the improvement comprises a sipping-tube integrally infolded and sealably attached, conveying to the user thereby the advantage of said tube remaining hygienically intact until required.

Referring to'the drawings: In FIGS. 1, 2, 3, 14, 15, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 show the panels of which the sipping-tube is comprised. The outer face of 1 is shown in FIG. 3 coated adhesively for the purpose of its adhering to 5 and forming thereby a sipping-tube of rectangular crosssection as illustrated in FIGS. 14 and 15. In FIG. 14 the View in enlarged detail shows the sipping-tube collapsed as when packed. In FIG. 15 the same tube is shown withdrawn from the narrow slit 25, and fitted into the slot 24 where it can remain firmly located.

FIGS. 16 and 17 show that rotatable manipulation of the collapsed sipping-tube in a clock-wise direction causes it to assume a rectangular cross-section.

In FIG. 3 adhesively coated area 28 on outer face of panel 5 enable its being adhered to panel 7. The obverse faces of panels 6 and 7 shown in FIG. 3 become opposed when folded about their dividing line and thereby bond to each other. The surfaces of panels 8, 9, 12, 13, 15 and 16 are shown adhesively coated 28 for the purpose of their adhering to each other when folded about their dividing line and thereby they form a terminal or sealing panel of the container shown expanded in blank in FIG. 1.

, Panel 18 shown in FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 forms a door with lifting tab 23. The door hinges about the line which divides panels 18 and 15 and is therefore shown as uncoated adhesively in FIGS except for the upper and lower margins of its obverse face and an adhesive line passing across the inward orhinge-line boundary of the tab, suchtselective adhesive coating providing the means to retain the panel 18 in closed condition. When tab 2. In a liquid-carrying container of foldable material sealably closable at its ends and having in the upper one of said sealable ends an infolded pouring spout, an in-, tegral sipping-tube of rectangular cross-section formed of twenty-one panels comprising a first, second, third, fourth and fifth panel each equal in length to the combined height of any wall panel and the perpendicular triangular height of the corresponding top-closure panel of said container, said first, second, third, fourth and fifth 23 is lifted and pulled, the adhesive force in these areas 7 is broken, the panel 18 becomes a door which swings open to expose the sipping-tube which lies flat and collapsed in slit 25. 7 FIG. 2 shows panels 7, 10 and 11 adhesively coated on their obverse faces so that when panel 15 is rotated about line dividing it from 18 it opposes the adhesively coated surfaces of panels-17, 20 andll ,to which they become bonded and thereby enclose the sipping-tube. i

- What is claimed is: I

1. In a liquid-carrying container of foldable material, an integral sipping-tube of rectangular cross-section formed of twenty-one panels comprising a first, second, third, fourth and fifth panel each equal in length to the combined height of any wall panel and the perpendicular triangular height of the corresponding top-closure panel of the said container, said first, second, third, fourth and fifth panels being infolded to form said sipping-tube of perimeter equal to the sum of the widths of the said second, third, fourth and fifth panels, said first panel being inwardly from its lower boundary and being coated ad-,

hesively on its obverse face rightwardly and leftwardly of said stepping slot, said coating extendingfrom the leftward area to the upper boundary of the said tenth panel but excepting a rectangular area equal to one-half of the area of said fifth panel, an eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth panel each coated adhesively on its obverse face, a sixteenth panel coated adhesively on the upper third of its obverse face, a seventeenth panel coated adhesively on the upper third of its obverse face and on a rectangular area equal to one-half of the area of said fifth panel extending to the lower boundary of the said panel in its leftward area, an eighteenth panel having two incisions extending inwardly from its right hand boundary'thereby forming a flap said panel being adhesively coated on its obverse face along its upper and lower margins'and immediately adjacent toits right-hand boundary excepting an area in the said upper and lower margins equal to the square of the width of the said fifth panel, a nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first paneleach coated adhesively and completely on its obverse face,

panels being infolded to form said sipping-tube of perimeter equal to the sum ofthe widths of the said second, third, fourth and fifth panels, said first panel being adhesively-coated on its outer face, said fifth panel being adhesively-coated on the lower section of its outer face,

and on its obverse face, a sixth, seventh, eighth and ninth panel being each adhesively-coated completely on its obverse face, a tenth panel having a stepped slot formed in-, wardly from its lower boundary andbeing coated adhesively on its obverse face rightwardly and leftwardly of said stepped slot, said coating extending from the leftward area to the upper boundary of the said tenth panel but excepting a rectangular area equal to one half of. the area of said fifthpanel, an eleventh, twelfth, thirteenth, fourteenth and fifteenth panel each coated-adhesively on its obverse face, a sixteenth panel coated adhesively on the upper third of its obverse face, a seventeenth panel coated adhesively on the upper third of its obverse face and on a rectangular area equal to one-half of the area of said fifth panel extending to the lower boundary of the said panel in its leftward area, an eighteenth panel having two incisions ,extending inwardly from its righthand boundary thereby forming a flap said panel being adhesively-coated on its obverse face along its upper and.

lower margins and immediately adjacent to its right-hand boundary excepting an area in the said upper and lower, margins equal to the squareof the width of the said fifth panel, a nineteenth, twentieth and twenty-first panel each coated adhesively and completely on its obverse face.

3. The device according to claim 1 formed of foldable;

sheet material of plastic resin suitable chemically of being bonded .to itself by heat, by direct or by pulsating pressatile pressure or through the medium of a compatible adhesive material.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,487,100 11/1949 Cohen 2297 2,581,516 1/1952 Cohen 229-7 2,838,220 6/1958 Oppenheimer et al. 229-7 GEORGE o. 'RALSTON, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A LIQUID-CARRYING CONTAINER OF FOLDABLE MATERIAL AN INTEGRAL SUPPING-TUBE OF RECTANGULAR CROSS-SECTION FORMED OF TWENTY-ONE PANELS COMPRISING A FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH PANEL EACH EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE COMBINED HEIGHT OF ANY WALL PANEL AND THE PERPENDICULAR TRIANGULAR HEIGHT OF THE CORRESPONDING TOP-CLOSURE PANEL OF THE SAID CONTAINER, SAID FIRST, SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH PANESL BEING INFOLDED TO FORM SAID SIPPING-TUBE OF PERIMETER EQUAL TO THE SUM OF THE WIDTHS OF THE SAID SECOND, THIRD, FOURTH AND FIFTH PANELS, SAID FIRST PANEL BEING ADHESIVELY-COATED ON ITS OUTER FACE, SAID FIFTH PANEL BEING ADHESIVELY-COATED ON THE LOWER SECTIONOF ITS OUTER FACE, AND ON ITS OBVERSE FACE, A SIXTH, SEVENTH, EIGHTH AND NINTH PANEL BEING EACH ADHESIVELY-COATED COMPLETELY ON ITS OBVERSE FACE, A TENTH PANEL HAVING A STEPPED SLOT FORMED INWARDLY FROM ITS LOWER BOUNDARY AND BEING COATED ADHESIVELY ON ITS OBVERSE FACE RIGHTWARDLY AND LEFTWARDLY OF SAID STEPPING SLOT, SAID COATING EXTENDING FROM THE LEFTWARD AREA TO THE UPPER BOUNDARY OF THE SAID TENTH PANEL BUT EXCEPTING A RECTANGULAR AREA EQUAL TO ONE-HALF OF THE AREA OF SAID FIFTH PANEL, AN ELEVENTH, TWELFTH, THIRTEENTH, FOURTEENTH AND FIFTEENTH PANEL EACH COATED ADHESIVELY ON ITS OBVERSE FACE, A SIXTEENTH PANEL COATED ADHE- 